Codecool: Hubspot implementation in 8 countries

Choosing a CRM and Sales system

Codecool's sales team previously used the Zoho CRM module, but they saw the need to switch to a more professional system. Although both systems have a marketing part, depending on the size of the team, Hubspot may be a more favorable solution.

Another advantage of Hubspot is that it is better known in Hungary and in the region, and several investors and investment funds prefer Hubspot. Therefore, it greatly facilitates joint work and knowledge transfer if the companies in the portfolio use the same software.

We decided on Hubspot because we needed a system that can serve the needs of the Codecool and SDA sales teams, all in one place - Lea Kalocsai, Codecool's sales manager.

Assessment of needs during the introduction of Hubspot

We started working together with Lea Kalocsai in the summer of 2022, and we started with the preparation and planning of the project. On the one hand, it was necessary to assess his needs as the manager responsible for sales, and on the other hand, what kind of framework and processes he wants to create for his colleagues present in the four countries so that together we can get the most out of the introduction of Hubspot.

In a mind map, I prepared Codecool's sales process for them, which we reviewed together with Lea and her Austrian colleague, which daily processes are worth incorporating.

In addition, we defined and created the properties that are necessary for Codecool to properly measure the performance of the sales team and make the daily work of colleagues visible. These data not only help with measurement and make it possible to plan the development of the company's revenues, but also help the company's management to respond to changes in customer needs to be broken down by locations, or what new needs appear among partners. (Codecool not only earns from following junior programmers but also provides corporate training for their partners.)

We designed the system in such a way that it can also measure incoming inquiries from different marketing channels as a result of activities so that it is possible to consider the success and revenue-generating capacity of each channel later on when measuring back and forming a strategy.

The merger of Codecool (with operations in Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Austria) with the Polish Software Development Academy (operating in Albania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Poland, and Romania) was not yet public when Hubspot was introduced, impacting the sales team of SDA. It's worth checking out the Hungarian Forbes article on the subject.

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Hubspot training, onboarding for new colleagues

Over the past years, I have participated in the introduction, training, and education of software at several companies, so I was aware that the success of such introductions largely depends on the extent to which the participants were involved in the process. To show how this new system benefits them individually, how it can help their work, make it more efficient, or relieve them of repetitive processes.

Balázs helped a lot to tailor the system to the needs of the Codecool sales team, and to make the introduction as smooth as possible - Lea Kalocsai, Codecool sales manager

In addition, it is also important that, although Hubspot has excellent training materials of its own and provides excellent support for companies, the introduction can be greatly facilitated by the training materials tailored to your own use cases, which I also prepared in the form of videos for the team at Codecool. After all, in this way, current colleagues can learn to manage the system faster, as well as new colleagues later, compared to if they only use the general training materials or only receive them in the form of a presentation.

In larger organizations, it is worthwhile to devote more energy to ensuring that frequently repeated tasks can be carried out as efficiently as possible. That is why many companies today have some kind of onboarding process, but it is also worth incorporating knowledge such as the use of certain software, even tailored to the company, as this way you do not have to devote extra energy to this later on when a new colleague arrives.

Hubspot ecosystem for the sales team

We can greatly help an introduction by helping colleagues "get used to" the system. We can prepare the daily elements and processes they will need. Since, unlike many other CRMs, Hubspot does not use TAGs to segment different contacts, but lists, in the case of Codecool, during the introduction, we assessed what lists they wanted colleagues to monitor and use, and I prepared these for them in advance.

"As a manager, the merger of the two companies was a very exciting task. During the negotiations, we also decided that we need to create a new and uniform sales system with the SDA in order to optimize the internal processes. Balázs was a great help in that

He was responsive and fast, and he always reminded me if something depended on me or I had to make a decision, so I could entrust all the professional and technical tasks to him, while I "only" had to deal with Codecoop-specific issues. - said Lea Kalocsai, Codecool's sales manager.

A good example of this is the reports, in which Lea and I defined the metrics that can be used to track the work and performance of individual sales colleagues - as well as their administrative work, and all colleagues received this ready-made.

An important aspect for salespeople is that they have different needs, some prefer to do their work on the phone, and some are more digitally oriented. Some people focus on the beginning of the sales cycle, others on the end. In such a case, a system must be built that is comfortable for all of them and helps their work.

As in the case of many other introductions, it was also important here to solve the processes as simple as possible and with as few third-party applications as possible. That's why we especially drew the attention of colleagues to options such as the appointment booking solution found within Hubspot (it works in a similar way to Calendly), or tools that are often not used, such as Snippets, which speed up daily work.

These tools and other integration options are also there in Hubspot, but they are often not used, even though they are great solutions in the field of daily work, Balázs also helped colleagues a lot in integrating them.

As with the lists made for individual salespeople, I also tried to create a system for these devices that is future-proof and that they will be able to navigate as easily as possible later. That's why we have created "naming conventions", without which it is very difficult to thrive in multilingual teams - many people forget this. Also, I have named the already created elements in the system accordingly, so it becomes even more spectacular if someone uses separate solutions and names.

Advantages of Hubspot for sales managers

For sales and company managers, Hubspot (but also other CRMs) can provide adequate security in sharing the results of daily processes, or if colleagues are lagging behind with administration. The latter is indispensable in all respects, but at the same time, it can be facilitated and supported with certain automation, tools, and appropriate introduction and training.

A suitable ecosystem can be built around well-structured and implemented CRMs, which will then accompany and support the company for years.

Opportunities inherent in Hubspot marketing automation

Hubspot has a strong market share, making it compatible with many other tools. It now offers a website creation module and integrates directly with leading advertising platforms like Google, Meta, and LinkedIn. These features give companies an edge in marketing communication by allowing them to track potential customers during both the marketing and sales phases. This makes Hubspot an effective solution for customer follow-up and long-term relationship management.

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